The race for the top four is getting very exciting – and because every team’s so close, it could go down to the final day of the season. Chelsea and Tottenham have all but secured their finish in the top two positions, but there are still two more places available in the Champions League qualification positions – and four teams who all have a relatively big chance of finishing in them: Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal. So I’m going to give reasons why they’ll finish in the top four and why they might not.
Liverpool
Why they will finish in the top four: Liverpool are third, six points inside the places which bring you Champions League qualification and haven’t lost in seven games. Also their attack is lethal, even without the injured Mane, and they are the Premier League’s leading scorers.
Why they won’t finish in the top four: The defence is a big worry, and forgetting their 1-0 win last weekend they hadn’t kept a clean sheet for seven games.
Manchester City
Why they will finish in the top four: They’re in a great position in the league and they’ve got a fixture list which includes five teams who are currently not in the top nine.
Why they won’t finish in the top four: Pep Guardiola has intended to rotate Bravo and Caballero around at goalkeeper, meaning the mistake-prone Bravo will play, and he has been absolutely awful this season.
Manchester United
Why they will finish in the top four: United are a team bursting with pace and prodigies, and their victory against Chelsea showed what a good team they are.
Why they won’t finish in the top four: They still have to play Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham all away and failure to beat any of those teams will put them on the backfoot in the race to finish in the top four. They could also get distracted by the Europa League.
Arsenal
Why they will finish in the top four: Arsenal have qualified to finish in the Champions League for twenty years, and with a team consisting of stars like Ozil and Sanchez they surely couldn’t miss out.
Why they won’t finish in the top four: Arsene Wenger’s future at the club has been questioned and the talk off the pitch could affect the players on the pitch, and the split in fans makes the atmosphere at games horrible.
Verdict: I think Liverpool will finish in the top four along with Manchester United because United have a great team and spirits are high after winning over Chelsea. And Liverpool because they are third in the league right now, and it doesn’t look like anyone can catch them with their advantage points-wise.